Beginning this autumn, Rhizome and Beijing-based TASML and CAT/CCIA will award a substantial new prize for internet art.

The "no strings attached" prize, which will be awarded three times in total in 2014, 2015, and 2016, will recognize the past work and future promise of one artist making outstanding work on the internet. The awardee will receive $10,000; a second distinction award of $5,000 will also be made each year.

To us, the prize feels timely. It celebrates the current moment of internet art and looks ahead to its future. As many artists have won international acclaim for work that tackles technology as subject matter through media forms of long standing—sculpture, installation, and painting—internet art remains less recognized, less supported. This prize gives a boost to those who continue to make art on the internet, and emphasizes the unique cultural importance of such work.

We're thrilled to work with our partners to acknowledge significant internet artists who continue to be committed to working online, who have inspired us in the past, and whose best work still lies ahead.